EPL 2016/17: Zlatan Ibrahimovic explains why Ronaldo is the greatest footballer of all time

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has impressed in his Manchester United career so far

Manchester United forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has named Ronaldo Nazario as the best player of all time. The Swede went on to explain why he places the Brazilian forward above greats like Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele and Maradona, claiming a player like Ronaldo ‘doesn’t exist’ anymore.

In an interview published in Manchester United’s match programme, the Swede was effusive in his praise of Ronaldo, saying “I think Ronaldo was phenomenal. He was the player that whatever he did it became wow! He could do a difficult thing and it became magic. He would take the ball and it was like him saying ‘I’ll take care of it now’.”

Zlatan also went on to note that Ronaldo inspired him to be the player he is today, saying “You didn’t have that kind of football player before and you don’t have it today. He doesn’t exist. As a young player I watched him and said to myself ‘I want to be exactly like that’… the player who makes the difference, the shining light, simple as that.”

While the duo have played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, the only time that Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic played in the same league was in 2007/08, with the Brazilian at AC Milan, while Ibrahimovic was playing for their rivals Inter Milan.

Zlatan has a special fondness for 1998 FIFA World Cup final

The Swedish superstar went on to answer some intriguing questions, such as naming the amazing bicycle goal-kick he scored for Sweden against England as the best goal he has ever scored. However, when asked a potentially tough question about picking a single team in history he wished he could play for once, Zlatan was unusually diplomatic, saying “I’m happy with the teams I played for because they did magic stuff.”

When asked what kind of football he enjoys watching, Zlatan initially played down the question, saying that since he is involved in football daily, he likes to ‘keep a little bit of distance.’ However, when asked to choose one game he would love to re-watch, Zlatan said “If I can choose one maybe the World Cup when France won against Brazil [in the 1998 final] because Ronaldo was playing obviously so you want to watch and [Zinedine] Zidane was playing so you want to watch. These are the kind of players you want to watch.”